Lakes will be packed July 4 week

You can count on it. Lakes such as Keowee and Hartwell will be packed the July 4 week. All campsites at Oconee’s three county parks have been reserved, and the PRT’s Phil Shirley says visitors are arriving as early as today. Fifteen years at the head of South Cove, High Falls, and Chau Ram parks has taught Shirley that there are two overriding reasons why people flock there: “People love to get together as a family whether it’s in the park or on the water. I think just family time and accessing the water are the two key points for enjoying the 4th of July,” Shirley said. At Lake Hartwell, at various spots in South Carolina and Georgia you can expect overflow crowds of boaters, swimmers and others on their personal watercrafts. One Georgia DNR officer says many of the visitors are liable to be on Lake Hartwell for the first time and might not know how to operate their boat or watercraft safely. That’s why you can expect DNR and Army Corps of Engineers officers to be out all week to ensure that boating is done safely and responsibly.